Giobbe (RSV) 30

30 1 "But now they make sport of me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.
2
What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone?
3
Through want and hard hunger they gnaw the dry and desolate ground;
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they pick mallow and the leaves of bushes, and to warm themselves the roots of the broom.
5
They are driven out from among men; they shout after them as after a thief.
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In the gullies of the torrents they must dwell, in holes of the earth and of the rocks.
7
Among the bushes they bray; under the nettles they huddle together.
8
A senseless, a disreputable brood, they have been whipped out of the land.
9
"And now I have become their song, I am a byword to them.
10
They abhor me, they keep aloof from me; they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me.
11
Because God has loosed my cord and humbled me, they have cast off restraint in my presence.
12
On my right hand the rabble rise, they drive me forth, they cast up against me their ways of destruction.
13
They break up my path, they promote my calamity; no one restrains them.
14
As through a wide breach they come; amid the crash they roll on.
15
Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is pursued as by the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.
16
"And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me.
17
The night racks my bones, and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.
18
With violence it seizes my garment; it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.
19
God has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.
20
I cry to thee and thou dost not answer me; I stand, and thou dost not heed me.
21
Thou hast turned cruel to me; with the might of thy hand thou dost persecute me.
22
Thou liftest me up on the wind, thou makest me ride on it, and thou tossest me about in the roar of the storm.
23
Yea, I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
24
"Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, and in his disaster cry for help?
25
Did not I weep for him whose day was hard? Was not my soul grieved for the poor?
26
But when I looked for good, evil came; and when I waited for light, darkness came.
27
My heart is in turmoil, and is never still; days of affliction come to meet me.
28
I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.
29
I am a brother of jackals, and a companion of ostriches.
30
My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bones burn with heat.
31
My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.


31 1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I look upon a virgin?
2
What would be my portion from God above, and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
3
Does not calamity befall the unrighteous, and disaster the workers of iniquity?
4
Does not he see my ways, and number all my steps?
5
"If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hastened to deceit;
6
(Let me be weighed in a just balance, and let God know my integrity!)
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if my step has turned aside from the way, and my heart has gone after my eyes, and if any spot has cleaved to my hands;
8
then let me sow, and another eat; and let what grows for me be rooted out.
9
"If my heart has been enticed to a woman, and I have lain in wait at my neighbor's door;
10
then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down upon her.
11
For that would be a heinous crime; that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges;
12
for that would be a fire which consumes unto Abaddon, and it would burn to the root all my increase.
13
"If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me;
14
what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15
Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?
16
"If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17
or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it
18
(for from his youth I reared him as a father, and from his mother's womb I guided him);
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if I have seen any one perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without covering;
20
if his loins have not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
21
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, because I saw help in the gate;
22
then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder, and let my arm be broken from its socket.
23
For I was in terror of calamity from God, and I could not have faced his majesty.
24
"If I have made gold my trust, or called fine gold my confidence;
25
if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, or because my hand had gotten much;
26
if I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor,
27
and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand;
28
this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I should have been false to God above.
29
"If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him that hated me, or exulted when evil overtook him
30
(I have not let my mouth sin by asking for his life with a curse);
31
if the men of my tent have not said, `Who is there that has not been filled with his meat?'
32
(the sojourner has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the wayfarer);
33
if I have concealed my transgressions from men, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom,
34
because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors --
35
Oh, that I had one to hear me! (Here is my signature! let the Almighty answer me!) Oh, that I had the indictment written by my adversary!
36
Surely I would carry it on my shoulder; I would bind it on me as a crown;
37
I would give him an account of all my steps; like a prince I would approach him.
38
"If my land has cried out against me, and its furrows have wept together;
39
if I have eaten its yield without payment, and caused the death of its owners;
40
let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended.


Elihu Rebukes Job's Friends

32 1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became angry. He was angry at Job because he justified himself rather than God; 3 he was angry also at Job's three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he. 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, he became angry.
6
And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered: "I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.
7
I said, `Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.'
8
But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
9
It is not the old that are wise, nor the aged that understand what is right.
10
Therefore I say, `Listen to me; let me also declare my opinion.'
11
"Behold, I waited for your words, I listened for your wise sayings, while you searched out what to say.
12
I gave you my attention, and, behold, there was none that confuted Job, or that answered his words, among you.
13
Beware lest you say, `We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not man.'
14
He has not directed his words against me, and I will not answer him with your speeches.
15
"They are discomfited, they answer no more; they have not a word to say.
16
And shall I wait, because they do not speak, because they stand there, and answer no more?
17
I also will give my answer; I also will declare my opinion.
18
For I am full of words, the spirit within me constrains me.
19
Behold, my heart is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins, it is ready to burst.
20
I must speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.
21
I will not show partiality to any person or use flattery toward any man.
22
For I do not know how to flatter, else would my Maker soon put an end to me.


Elihu Rebukes Job

33 1 "But now, hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my words.
2
Behold, I open my mouth; the tongue in my mouth speaks.
3
My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
4
The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5
Answer me, if you can; set your words in order before me; take your stand.
6
Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was formed from a piece of clay.
7
Behold, no fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not be heavy upon you.
8
"Surely, you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words.
9
You say, `I am clean, without transgression; I am pure, and there is no iniquity in me.
10
Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy;
11
he puts my feet in the stocks, and watches all my paths.'
12
"Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you. God is greater than man.
13
Why do you contend against him, saying, `He will answer none of my words'?
14
For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.
15
In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while they slumber on their beds,
16
then he opens the ears of men, and terrifies them with warnings,
17
that he may turn man aside from his deed, and cut off pride from man;
18
he keeps back his soul from the Pit, his life from perishing by the sword.
19
"Man is also chastened with pain upon his bed, and with continual strife in his bones;
20
so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite dainty food.
21
His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen; and his bones which were not seen stick out.
22
His soul draws near the Pit, and his life to those who bring death.
23
If there be for him an angel, a mediator, one of the thousand, to declare to man what is right for him;
24
and he is gracious to him, and says, `Deliver him from going down into the Pit, I have found a ransom;
25
let his flesh become fresh with youth; let him return to the days of his youthful vigor';
26
then man prays to God, and he accepts him, he comes into his presence with joy. He recounts to men his salvation,
27
and he sings before men, and says: `I sinned and perverted what was right, and it was not requited to me.
28
He has redeemed my soul from going down into the Pit, and my life shall see the light.'
29
"Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man,
30
to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may see the light of life.
31
Give heed, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.
32
If you have anything to say, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you.
33
If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom."


Elihu Proclaims God's Justice

34 1 Then Elihu said:
2
"Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know;
3
for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food.
4
Let us choose what is right; let us determine among ourselves what is good.
5
For Job has said, `I am innocent, and God has taken away my right;
6
in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'
7
What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water,
8
who goes in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men?
9
For he has said, `It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.'
10
"Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding, far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
11
For according to the work of a man he will requite him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
12
Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13
Who gave him charge over the earth and who laid on him the whole world?
14
If he should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to himself his breath,
15
all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.
16
"If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say.
17
Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
18
who says to a king, `Worthless one,' and to nobles, `Wicked man';
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who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
20
In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.
21
"For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.
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There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.
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For he has not appointed a time for any man to go before God in judgment.
24
He shatters the mighty without investigation, and sets others in their place.
25
Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
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He strikes them for their wickedness in the sight of men,
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because they turned aside from following him, and had no regard for any of his ways,
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so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted --
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When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man? --
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that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people.
31
"For has any one said to God, `I have borne chastisement; I will not offend any more;
32
teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more'?
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Will he then make requital to suit you, because you reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you know.
34
Men of understanding will say to me, and the wise man who hears me will say:
35
`Job speaks without knowledge, his words are without insight.'
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Would that Job were tried to the end, because he answers like wicked men.
37
For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God."


Elihu Condemns Self-Righteousness

35 1 And Elihu said:
2
"Do you think this to be just? Do you say, `It is my right before God,'
3
that you ask, `What advantage have I? How am I better off than if I had sinned?'
4
I will answer you and your friends with you.
5
Look at the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.
6
If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
7
If you are righteous, what do you give to him; or what does he receive from your hand?
8
Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man.
9
"Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.
10
But none says, `Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,
11
who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?'
12
There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.
13
Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it.
14
How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!
15
And now, because his anger does not punish, and he does not greatly heed transgression,
16
Job opens his mouth in empty talk, he multiplies words without knowledge."


Elihu Exalts God's Goodness

36 1 And Elihu continued, and said:
2
"Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.
3
I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
4
For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.
5
"Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding.
6
He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right.
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He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings upon the throne he sets them for ever, and they are exalted.
8
And if they are bound in fetters and caught in the cords of affliction,
9
then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.
10
He opens their ears to instruction, and commands that they return from iniquity.
11
If they hearken and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness.
12
But if they do not hearken, they perish by the sword, and die without knowledge.
13
"The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them.
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They die in youth, and their life ends in shame.
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He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity.
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He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness.
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"But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; judgment and justice seize you.
18
Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing; and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
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Will your cry avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength?
20
Do not long for the night, when peoples are cut off in their place.
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Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
22
Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him?
23
Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, `Thou hast done wrong'?


Elihu Proclaims God's Majesty

24 "Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung.
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All men have looked on it; man beholds it from afar.
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Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.
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For he draws up the drops of water, he distils his mist in rain
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which the skies pour down, and drop upon man abundantly.
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Can any one understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion?
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Behold, he scatters his lightning about him, and covers the roots of the sea.
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For by these he judges peoples; he gives food in abundance.
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He covers his hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark.
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Its crashing declares concerning him, who is jealous with anger against iniquity.


37 1 "At this also my heart trembles, and leaps out of its place.
2
Hearken to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
3
Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
4
After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard.
5
God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things which we cannot comprehend.
6
For to the snow he says, `Fall on the earth'; and to the shower and the rain, `Be strong.'
7
He seals up the hand of every man, that all men may know his work.
8
Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens.
9
From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds.
10
By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.
11
He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning.
12
They turn round and round by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world.
13
Whether for correction, or for his land, or for love, he causes it to happen.
14
"Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God.
15
Do you know how God lays his command upon them, and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16
Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,
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you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind?
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Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a molten mirror?
19
Teach us what we shall say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.
20
Shall it be told him that I would speak? Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?
21
"And now men cannot look on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them.
22
Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with terrible majesty.
23
The Almighty -- we cannot find him; he is great in power and justice, and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
24
Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit."


The LORD Answers Job

38 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2
"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3
Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
4
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.
5
Who determined its measurements -- surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6
On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,
7
when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8
"Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth from the womb;
9
when I made clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10
and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors,
11
and said, `Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'?
12
"Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,
13
that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?
14
It is changed like clay under the seal, and it is dyed like a garment.
15
From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken.
16
"Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17
Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.
19
"Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness,
20
that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?
21
You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!
22
"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23
which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?
24
What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
25
"Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain, and a way for the thunderbolt,
26
to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man;
27
to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground put forth grass?
28
"Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29
From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven?
30
The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
31
"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion?
32
Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children?
33
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?
34
"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you?
35
Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, `Here we are'?
36
Who has put wisdom in the clouds, or given understanding to the mists?
37
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
38
when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cleave fast together?
39
"Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40
when they crouch in their dens, or lie in wait in their covert?
41
Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food?


39 1 "Do you know when the mountain goats bring forth? Do you observe the calving of the hinds?
2
Can you number the months that they fulfil, and do you know the time when they bring forth,
3
when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young?
4
Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open; they go forth, and do not return to them.
5
"Who has let the wild ass go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass,
6
to whom I have given the steppe for his home, and the salt land for his dwelling place?
7
He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver.
8
He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.
9
"Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your crib?
10
Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you?
11
Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor?
12
Do you have faith in him that he will return, and bring your grain to your threshing floor?
13
"The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; but are they the pinions and plumage of love?
14
For she leaves her eggs to the earth, and lets them be warmed on the ground,
15
forgetting that a foot may crush them, and that the wild beast may trample them.
16
She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear;
17
because God has made her forget wisdom, and given her no share in understanding.
18
When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider.
19
"Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with strength?
20
Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible.
21
He paws in the valley, and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons.
22
He laughs at fear, and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword.
23
Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear and the javelin.
24
With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
25
When the trumpet sounds, he says `Aha!' He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26
"Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars, and spreads his wings toward the south?
27
Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?
28
On the rock he dwells and makes his home in the fastness of the rocky crag.
29
Thence he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it afar off.
30
His young ones suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is he."


40 1 And the LORD said to Job:
2
"Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it."


Job's Response to God

3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4
"Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand on my mouth.
5
I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further."


God's Challenge to Job

6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:
7
"Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you declare to me.
8
Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be justified?
9
Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?
10
"Deck yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11
Pour forth the overflowings of your anger, and look on every one that is proud, and abase him.
12
Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked where they stand.
13
Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below.
14
Then will I also acknowledge to you, that your own right hand can give you victory.
15
"Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.
16
Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17
He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18
His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron.
19
"He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword!
20
For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play.
21
Under the lotus plants he lies, in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh.
22
For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him.
23
Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24
Can one take him with hooks, or pierce his nose with a snare?


41 1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
2
Can you put a rope in his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3
Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak to you soft words?
4
Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant for ever?
5
Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on leash for your maidens?
6
Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?
7
Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears?
8
Lay hands on him; think of the battle; you will not do it again!
9
Behold, the hope of a man is disappointed; he is laid low even at the sight of him.
10
No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he that can stand before me?
11
Who has given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12
"I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame.
13
Who can strip off his outer garment? Who can penetrate his double coat of mail?
14
Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror.
15
His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal.
16
One is so near to another that no air can come between them.
17
They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18
His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
19
Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth.
20
Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21
His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth.
22
In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him.
23
The folds of his flesh cleave together, firmly cast upon him and immovable.
24
His heart is hard as a stone, hard as the nether millstone.
25
When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they are beside themselves.
26
Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail; nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. 27 He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make him flee; for him slingstones are turned to stubble. 29 Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rattle of javelins. 30 His underparts are like sharp potsherds; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. 31 He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be hoary. 33 Upon earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. 34 He beholds everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride."


Job Is Humbled and Satisfied

42 1 Then Job answered the LORD: 2 "I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted. 3 `Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 `Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.' 5 I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."


Job's Friends Are Humiliated

7 After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.
8
Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has."
9
So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.


Job's Fortunes Are Restored Twofold

10 And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11
Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house; and they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.
12
And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
13
He had also seven sons and three daughters.
14
And he called the name of the first Jemimah; and the name of the second Keziah; and the name of the third Kerenhappuch.
15
And in all the land there were no women so fair as Job's daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.
16
And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations.
17
And Job died, an old man, and full of days.



Giobbe (RSV) 30